Transfiguration of the Lord
“Together with the Word, let us now ascend the lofty mountain of the Transfiguration, casting off the material and dark garments of worldly life and clothing ourselves in those woven from above, shining with the rays of rational virtues,” calls St. Andrew of Crete to the faithful on this great feast day. “And it is pleasing to Christ Himself, Who is the pure Beginning of all and the pre-eternal Word of the Father, Who for our sake descended from heaven and, out of love for mankind, took on our frail flesh, that we should make this ascent with Him, since we are already clothed in white garments through our life and word, and are uplifted by the pure thoughts of the Spirit” (Sermon on the Transfiguration of the Lord). By “white garments,” the saint refers to the grace of baptism, which cleanses the stain of sins, and by “pure thoughts of the Spirit,” he means, first, the holy truths of faith that we read in the Holy Scriptures and hear in church, and second, the gift of heartfelt acceptance of these truths, granted through the Holy Spirit, the true and life-giving Lord, who guides us into all truth. Inviting us to this spiritual ascent, the saint places us, though sinful and weak, alongside the apostles who were deemed worthy of witnessing the divine revelation of Christ on Mount Tabor. The Church echoes this in its festive hymns: “Come, let us ascend to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of our God, and we shall behold the glory of His Transfiguration, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of the Father; let us receive Light with light and, transformed by the Spirit, let us sing praises to the consubstantial Trinity forever” (sticheron at the litia). “Come, O people, having heard, let us ascend to the holy, heavenly mountain, and stand immaterially in the city of the Living God, and mentally behold the immaterial Divinity of the Father and the Spirit, shining forth in the Only-Begotten Son” (Canon, Ode 9).
Thus, the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a celebration of spiritual ascent, divine contemplation, and godly vision. Though our bodies are far from Tabor, there are no barriers for our spirit to be there; moreover, the Church calls each of her children to the contemplation once granted only to the three chosen disciples of the Lord.
The Gospel recounts that shortly before His Passion (about forty days prior), the Lord Jesus Christ took with Him three of His closest disciples—Peter, James, and John—and ascended a mountain to pray. Church tradition unanimously holds that this was Mount Tabor, located near Jerusalem. “And as He prayed, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothing became white and dazzling,” writes the Evangelist Luke (Luke 9:29), while the Evangelist Matthew adds, “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as light” (Matthew 17:2). Beside the Lord, the apostles saw the prophets Moses and Elijah: “They appeared in glory and spoke of His departure, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31). Seeing this, the Apostle Peter, in a state of rapture and “not knowing what he said,” addressed the Lord: “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles (that is, three shelters or booths—Ed.): one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5). Peter felt such extraordinary bliss and joy that he did not wish to return to ordinary earthly life; he desired the contemplation to last forever. “While he was still speaking,” continues the Evangelist Luke, “a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son; listen to Him’” (Luke 9:34–35). Immediately after, “looking around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, He ordered them to tell no one what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” (Mark 9:8–9).
This wondrous vision is rightly called the Tabor Theophany by the holy fathers. In it, the apostles were granted, for the strengthening of their faith, to see a “faint dawn” of the divine nature of the Savior, to be convinced that He is the true Son of the eternal Father, equal to Him in power and glory. It is no coincidence that the prophets of the Old Testament appeared with Him, especially those who were zealous for the glory of the One God and were granted unique gifts: Moses received the Law given by God on Sinai, and Elijah, without experiencing the death common to all, was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. Who better than they could testify before the apostles that Jesus, to whom they now stood in reverent worship, is the very God who spoke to Moses amid thunder and lightning, and who descended from heaven as fire upon the sacrifice offered by Elijah?
Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ proclaimed Himself—not only in word but in deed—as existing inseparably and unconfusedly in two natures: divine and human; as the One who is eternal and immortal in His divinity, yet in His humanity came into the world to taste sacrificial death for the salvation of His fellow human beings.
“What could be more significant or awe-inspiring than to behold God in human form, His face shining, radiant like the sun and more than the sun, ceaselessly emitting rays, pointing with His most pure finger to His countenance and saying to those present with Him in that place: ‘Thus shall the righteous shine in the resurrection, thus shall they be glorified, transformed into this My likeness, changed into this glory, conformed to this form, this image, these features, this light, this blessedness, becoming conformed and enthroned with Me, the Son of God,’” exclaims the holy ascetic, preacher, and theologian Anastasius of Sinai, indicating that in the Transfiguration, Christ revealed not only His own likeness but also ours—that is, the likeness of all who, at His second coming, will attain resurrection into eternal glory and the life of the age to come. “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:43) — so our Savior Himself proclaimed.
Thus, we understand why, on this day, both the sermons of holy theologians and the festal hymns so insistently call us to share in the apostles’ wonder of contemplation. For the dazzling vision of Jesus’ face, shining brighter than the sun, and His radiant garments is a recognition of our own destiny, to which we are called by Christ’s holy Gospel. Christ is the image of saved and deified humanity. Amid the multitude of calamities, injustices, and wrongs committed daily on earth by those who forget their divine calling, let us behold this radiant face and, without doubting, believe that God’s will—“that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)—remains and will remain unchanging until the end. The darkness of vice and falsehood, with which the adversary, the devil, seeks to defile the image of God in humanity, is powerless before the victorious radiance of the rays of the coming King of Glory.
At Great Vespers, at “Lord, I Have Cried,” Stichera, Tone 4:
The mountain, once dark and smoky, is now honorable and holy, for thereon, O Lord, did Thy feet stand. The eternal hidden mystery was at last revealed, Thy dread Transfiguration shown to Peter, John, and James. Unable to bear the radiance of Thy countenance and the brightness of Thy garments, they fell prostrate upon the earth, and, seized with awe, they marveled, beholding Moses and Elijah speaking with Thee of the things that were to befall Thee. And a voice from the Father bore witness, saying: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him!” Who granteth the world great mercy.
At the Litia, Sticheri, Tone 2:
Thou who with Thy light dost sanctify the whole universe, wast transfigured on the lofty mountain, O Good One, revealing to Thy disciples the glory of Thine own, that Thou dost deliver the world from transgression. Wherefore we cry unto Thee: O merciful Lord, save our souls.
Thou who wast transfigured in glory on Mount Tabor, O Christ our God, and didst show to Thy disciples the glory of Thy divinity, illumine us also with the light of Thy knowledge, and guide us in the path of Thy commandments, for Thou alone art good and lovest mankind.